We often call ourselves “Zags for Life,”but at our most generous, some of us give other Zags life. When Lucas Sharma (’09) sent an email to family and friends in November to share news of his stage-five kidney failure, his classmate Megan Croley (’09) didn’t hesitate to ask for donor paperwork.

“It wasn’t a hard decision. I made it in an instant,” Croley said. “We all have people in our lives who we wouldn’t hesitate to help
in times of need, and I feel fortunate that I was at a place where I was able to be there
for Lucas.”

Testing proved their blood types compatible, and on St. Patrick’s Day, little more than four months from the date she submitted her paperwork to Swedish Hospital in Seattle, Croley donated her left kidney to Sharma.

“Throughout this process, I’ve felt a profound sense of gratitude,” Sharma said. “I’m free of so much fear that I felt dealing with my kidney failure, and I’m really moved by that.”

Sharma is a second-year novice in the Jesuit Oregon Province. This experience has only deepened his faith formation. “With God’s grace, I know now that I really can do anything. I can depend on other people. As Jesuits, we’re called to hold tension and to surrender fear and anxiety. I have learned that I can depend on God,” he said.

Fully recovered, Sharma took the Jesuit first vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in August. This fall, he is traveling to New York to work toward an M.A. in philosophy
at Fordham University.

“Kidney donation is not as scary as it initially sounds,” Croley said. “If you have the opportunity to consider being a donor, don’t let anxiety prevent you from doing the research. It was an unbelievably rewarding and affirming experience.”

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Gonzaga University is a private Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic university providing education to more than 7,400 students. Situated along the Spokane River near downtown Spokane, Washington, Gonzaga is routinely recognized among the West's best comprehensive regional universities.